


Arranged

by fawnpls



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged up characters, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Fluff, idk man it's fun to write rip, swearing and use of alchohol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-25 22:31:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6212707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fawnpls/pseuds/fawnpls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrienette AU- post Superheros Adrien and Marinette never revealed themselves to one another, and now Adrien is a household name in the fashion world, becoming the largest international model, while Marinette is Gabriel's assistant. When Mr.  Agreste makes a proposal to arrange a marriage between the two of them, they're given 8 months to give him a yes or a no to him, and have to go through dates and vacations and photoshoots just to figure their feelings out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. - chapter 1: an important meeting -

**Author's Note:**

> First ml fic and it's basically entirely adrienette. So let me give you some context I guess. This is POST ladybug and chat noir, and the two ended up never confessing. Marinette now works for Gabriel Agreste and obviously her and Adrien still talk some, but have absolutely no idea that the other is their ex partner. Marinette is (mostly) over her feelings for Adrien. Adrien is also a lot bigger of a model in this AU, he's a household name type model, everybody knows who he is. 
> 
> First chapter is boring because context. Second chapter is around just as boring. But it gets better I promise you! I hope you enjoy a read.

"Mrgh" the 23 year old rubbed her eyes as she woke, not remembering much from the night before, but assuming due to the several crunched papers around her and the neat pile stacked on her desk, she must have had a inspiration spark again. The corners of her mouth tugged up for a single moment but were overtaken by a yawn, as her arms naturally lifted themselves to the ceiling, everything tensing up and all relaxing at once.

As the girl checked the time, she was up suprisingly early, 8:30 am. Then she triple, even quadruple checked the date. Her spring line was due today. She flipped through each and every last design over and over again, they had to be impressive, fresh, new. Gabriel was trusting his small intern (or was she an assistant now? She never knew anymore) with the line big time.

Pinks, purples, blues and greens stained the pages, brought them to life with every design. A girl with an Umbrella, in a soft purple dress. A boy with a button up, a daisy in his hand, "Adrien" scribbled next to this design, as a few were in every set she worked on, they had the exact intent as they sounded: she thought these were the designs Adrien would look best in.

As she gently pressed the few pages back into the pile, she walked to her closet, taking out a dress and throwing it on, casually curling her hair and doing her makeup, today she needed to look good, professional. Today they'd talk fashion.

\--

As she triple checked her binder to make sure she wasn't missing any designs, that everything was correctly labeled and pressed together, she mindlessly grabbed some coffee, (wow, she actually had time to get coffee this morning? Usually she was running out the door hoping and praying she'd make it in time) she decided to get one for Adrien and Mr. Agreste too, thanking the barista as she took the holder, tucking her binder under her coat and making her way to the mansion.

She was there so often now, she was an intern of course, but also almost, a house assistant. Sometimes she'd make both Agreste boys dinner, sometimes she'd even tidy up the house a little when it got out of control. She was almost virtually the only staff around anymore, after all.

As she knocked and was let in by their lone butler, she thanked him when he took her coat and the coffee she had gotten Adrien, thanking him once more as he said he would deliver it. she took a few deep inhales, then made her way up to his meeting room, the most intimidating room in the house. Thank the lord she was 10 minutes early. This would be a good day. Lady Luck was on her side.

The meeting room was huge, and cold, and sleek. It was always so quiet when they met in there, it was made for huge meetings, but she had never ever seen anyone but herself and Mr. Agreste set foot inside it. She felt so small. Everything seemed and felt small in there. Maybe Lady Luck wasn't on her side. It would be the flip of a coin, she guessed.

As she knocked on the door, she felt her heart drop. What if her designs didn't have flare to them? Her and Alya were looking at pictures of France in spring for HOURS, trying to get her as inspired as she could be, so she could just sketch and design for a week or two. And now it was finally time? She felt so.... off. He had given her the assignment so last minute, she was so unsure. What if this was a test?

Once he answered the door, she waved, taking a deep breath and gently handing him the sketchbook. "I did my best. I picked my favorites-" he took the coffee along with the sketchbook with ease, walking to the table and setting the coffee down on the gigantic table, his fingers gently cracking open the black binder.

"Shh" he placed his finger to his lips for a moment, as he flipped through the pages, his fingers gently touching a few designs, his eyes examining everything. He hadn't even sat down yet. Click clack, click clack. As he paced the room, her heart matching the speed of his shoes, then doubletime. She never knew how to read the man, he was always so.... quiet. Even to his own son.

"This is a very unique spring line, Miss Marinette. This one has caught my eye the most." He showed her the picture, the one of a couple, the woman in a white top and a large skirt, the male in a button and jeans. Lots of green and pink.

"Thank you. Mr. Agreste." She didn't know what to say. Did she not do enough? Did she do too much? He had never given her a project like this one, never in this short amount of time. Was it a test? she felt so confused, so... Unsure. The air was unsure, he opened his mouth to speak several times, but closed it and continued flipping through.

"Is there something on your mind?" She looked up at him, and he seemed to hesitate again. Was that the complete wrong question to ask? She swallowed all the spit in her mouth, she had never been so scared. She watched his every move, the way his fingers twitched and how he sipped on his coffee, then slowly put the book down, the page open with the couple on it. His fingers pointed to the couple, her looking at them for any mistakes, but then his hand seemed to trail back up to his coffee, both of his thin, pale hands wrapping around the cup, lacing into one another. He seemed to make a decision in that moment, as he inhaled and started to speak to her.

"I have a proposal for you. A business proposal." She had no idea what he meant. Was she getting a raise? A promotion? Several ideas bounced in her mind, as she looked everywhere but at his face, trying to hide her excitement. She did her best to hide her slanted smile, by tucking her hair behind her ears and licking her lips, trying to keep them closed. She couldn't think of anything that could possibly harm her career. She looked at her shoes, then finally up at him.

"I would like to arrange a marriage between you and my son." 


	2. - chapter 2: telling Adrien -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I still think this chapter is pretty boring ??? But slightly better than chapter 1. I originally wanted to combine chapter 1 and 2, but then it was just a long mess and it didn't have any nice seperation to it. So they're seperate chapters! Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter 2!

What.

She almost thought she had misheard him. She locked eyes with him, searching for anything to say he was joking. Gabriel Agreste was the last person on earth to joke about ANYTHING, but she was hoping, maybe lightning struck him last night and he was trying to be funny now. Please.

It had been a minute of silence, and he was 100% serious. She was engulfed in thoughts. Her? Was he so sure, as to picking her over the other interns, over the other people who were even higher up than she could dream of who would willingly marry him. All the perfect models he could have chose, and he chose her? Why was he trying to arrange a marriage anyway? What was she to do with it? Did Adrien want an arranged marriage?

"I-I'm so sorry sir, this is a lot to process." She bit her lip, looking around frantically. "Why..... Why me?" She felt so odd, a good odd. Special.

"You have potential to be very large in the fashion industry, Marinette" the man paced away from the table for a moment, where she had taken a seat, still trying to process everything going on. Arranged marriage ? Adrien? Her? She wasn't opposed to it, but....

The slam of several black binders on the table made her jump back into reality, looking up at the man. "I won't live forever. Adrien isn't a fashion designer, he's a model. I need someone to take the Agreste name when I'm retired." She felt tears well up in her eyes. Happy tears. Was she that good? Good enough that the man would want her to take over his business? So good that he'd give her his own son to marry?

"W-wait, is Adrien okay with this? Did you talk to him about it" she knew that he was no good at talking to his son. She was usually a messenger between the two, she would send small notes back and forth between them, he wasn't very good at facing his own son. Adrien said it had something to do with his mom, and she asked no more. Maybe this would be an opportunity to get them talking.

"Well.... I"

"You have to talk to him. I-i can't tell him, you have to. You're his father, this is your idea" she stood, smiling with passion and giving him the binder of spring designs for the following year.

"I still haven't gotten an answer from you, miss Marinette." She paused. That was EXACTLY what she was avoiding. She didn't know what to say, what to do. What if he was disgusted at the idea? What if she wasn't good enough. She assumed he had some perfect model girlfriend that she didn't know about anyway.

"I-I um. I'm not against it.... So to say. But I'm not.... It's not a yes, but it's DEFINITELY not a no." Her lips forced a small smile, as she stood up and started to take many of the books back to the shelf with him.

"You seem to take a liking to him. He likes you too. He requests often that you're his escort or that you're his house help. You're a designer and he's a model, I can't go wrong with that." He was so sure that the two would get married, he was so sure that it would just magically work.

"I-It's just so much to process..... Sure when we were young, I had the biggest crush on him, but-"

"This is why it's even more perfect. You two could bond over your old feelings. I could have you two married in two months time-"

"Woah woah woah! I won't get married to ANYONE that fast..... A-at least give us a chance to see if we like one another first..... A-at least ask Adrien first!" She felt dizzy again. So much information. So much hope put into one girl. Honor, happiness, yet fear. Her mind was running. Running away.

"Nathalie, can you bring Adrien up to the office?" The man pressed the button, Marinette's entire face flushing with color. Oh no. She'd have to watch him reject her right to her face. She wished the ground would swallow her up, she wished she was just..... Off the face of earth. Her old crush? the silence in the room was too much for her, well, the "silence". She assumed it was silent beyond her heavy breathing and her heart pounding loudly in her ears. Why was she acting 15 again?

She swore she could hear Adrien coming up the stairs, she was doing her best to calm her breathing. Every single step, every touch of his sneakers to the slick stone stairs, sitting up and doing her best to compose herself as the door slowly creaked open. "Oh god." She murmured to herself, hoping they didn't hear through the silent room.

"Dad? Why did you need me?" His voice was so soft, but he almost seemed exited. His father wanted to talk to him, it made her look up and give him a helpless smile. shit. He was so cute, such a model, and his father thought she was worthy enough to marry him? As she blonde sat down next to her, she was in-between both of them now, she was on the verge of tears, sniffling and doing her best to hide it. He was going to reject her for sure.

"Adrien, I have a business proposal for you" the father definitely seemed nervous. She was practically shaking already though, so maybe compared to her he looked calm. She looked up at Adrien for a second, he was listening with open ears.

"I would like to arrange" Gabriel seemed to pause, looking at Marinette with a soft smile playing on his lips. "A marriage. Between you and Miss Marinette." At the model's inhale in, she covered her face with her hands instinctively, to hide the redness and tears playing on her face. Oh god, she really wanted the earth to swallow her up now. She wouldn't dare take her hands off of her face. He was so..... Too good. That's all she could think. He was too good for her.


	3. - chapter 3: a business deal -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is the best one out of the three, but the next chapter is my favorite so far.

Adrien's gaze seemed to lock on her after his father made the proposal to him. He could tell she was nervous, so much so she was hiding her face. He felt a pang in his chest. "F-father I..... I don't know" he attempted to break his gaze, but he could only do so for a second, as her small frame was almost shaking from being so nervous, embarrassed, and the feeling of guilt ran through his veins.

"Well I'm eventually going to need an answer, two I don't knows isn't a very good business deal." He said softly, moving his book to the side, looking at both of them, back and forth from the two. He could feel the way Adrien was looking at her, and he knew his son couldn't say no. His look of... Endearment. He could read his son like an open book in the moment, as Adrien stared at the girl. He was thinking about being married to the small one. He even almost smiled.

"I-I can't just have you ask me this and give you a yes or a no right away, dad. We're not just a prince and a princess you can auction off! What if she doesn't even want to marry me? She has so much potential in this world." He wasn't against the idea. Not at all. Sure the two of them didn't talk THAT much, but he wasn't getting married anytime soon, he knew he wasn't even going to DATE anyone soon, and he knew his old romance with ladybug was long gone. Maybe... They could give it a try.

Tears were evidentially streaming down Marinette's cheeks, all the feelings were overwhelming her and she couldn't believe she was crying in front of her boss and ex-crush, it was so stupid, she felt so stupid. "Hey" she felt Adrien's precense grow closer to her, and the warmth of his hand on her back made her sigh. He was always perfect. Always knew what to do.

"I never said I didn't want to marry you, Marinette." His hand gently rubbed up and down her back, his other reaching slowly for her arm to slowly, gently take it away from her face. When she looked up at him, a reassuring smile grew on his face, as he wiped a few tears away. "Don't think you're not good enough or something. You're brilliant." He could feel his dad grinning. It almost sickened him a little, he knew his father was trying to help the business but. Really? This was the way to go about it?

"I have another idea, a more... Plausible idea. At least in the mind of the media." Marinette looked up from her crying, her cheeks still flushed and red hot as he scribbled things down on a piece of paper. Both of them seemed on the edge of their seats, Adrien's hand still gently on her arm, unintentionally rubbing it to continue to comfort his friend. Marinette's thoughts were still running at a mile a minute, her head was heavy and drowsy from all the things going on, the warm hand on her arm and the soft patter of rain that had started on the window being the only things to comfort her.

"Maybe if I give you two time to decide. Let's say...... 8 months to a year, so you two can get to know one another. If you don't want to get married by the end of it, we drop it." It was silent, as the two looked at one another, waiting for the other to answer before them. Neither of them wanted to say the wrong thing, as the designer started to impatiently tap his pen on the glass table, the two of them not even breaking eye contact, as they exchanged eyebrow raises, and then warm, warm smiles and nods.

"I... I think we can do that..." His hand slowly slid down her arm to meet her hand, their fingers slowly winding together, him reassuringly squeezing it and leaning into her, just so slightly. They exchanged glances again, her nodding, a little more sure of herself. "We can do that. There will have to be pr, dates and photoshoots I'm guessing?" He looked at Marinette, who already seemed engrossed with it. She wasn't a model, she wasn't a celebrity. Sure she could dream, but she didn't have the training Adrien did.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I got you." As his father circled things, he called Nathalie in and handed her the papers, telling her to make changes in his sons schedule already.

"You two are together, as of tomorrow. You'll be seen together at a cafe, we need to pick out your outfits and we'll hire paps to see you, make sure you both look happy." He stood up, taking a deep breath in. Most of his agenda was very much behind due to his elongated meeting with the assistant and his son, but he didn't really mind. This was a much better pay off in the end. "Miss Marinette, your designs will be shown at the Paris fashion week in 3 months. I'll give you the details in an email." And with that he left, leaving the 23 year old and the 24 year old in the cold room, her taking a few deep breaths in.

"A lot to take in, it is for me too." He slowly stood, helping her stand as well, she was wearing heels and seemed very out of it. "Why don't you take them off? I'll hold them." He smiled warmly at her, something about the way she was warmed his heart. Or was that just because now they were supposedly dating? Either way he took the shoes, walking hand in hand with her down the stairs and into another wing, naturally leading her to his room. "You can sketch in there, or nap, if you want"

  
"N-no I..... I want to. To talk I guess" she laughed, sniffling again and wiping under her cheeks. She was so weak for crying. Wasn't this supposed to be a good thing? The boy she had been in love with since day one was going to be her husband. But... Did he want to be?

"We can do that too. Talking is... Talking is good."


	4. - chapter 4: a lunch date -

She could feel his warm hand pressing into the small of her back, through her coat and her dress. As the paps came to take pictures of them the tips of his fingers curled in,  seeming to grip her coat a little,  urging her forward. He had put a smile on his face, and she had too. She went over all the directions in her head for the millionth time, lean your head on his shoulder, smile and look up at him. Let him do all the guiding and talking. Make sure you have your sketchbook and make sure you get a window seat and laugh about nothing. She could barley wrap her head around it. No wonder Adrien hadn't ever dated anyone before, this was hard work. 

She put on an even brighter smile as the waiter got them a window table, the two of them pretending to shoo paps away from them, as Adrien helped her take her coat off and hung it on the back of her seat, then pulled her seat out and pushed it in for her. He was being quiet, he didn't want to be there. She didn't exactly either, but business was business. 

Most of the paps had gotten what they wanted, and she could already see all the headlines, all the broken hearts, all the death threats she had been warned about. After this moment she wouldn't just be his assistant. Even if the two deicded on not getting married, this would change her career forever. 

"So.... Um" she felt his hand trail to grab hers hesitantly, it was shaking slightly, and she couldn't tell if it was anger or fear, as his face was completely calm, but she knew better. She squeezed it and then he squeezed back, as he casually looked at the menu. He was looking for distractions. She felt so overwhelmed, like he was forced to do this. The awkwardness was high, the only comforting thing being his hand. His warm, soft, big hand. "What do you usually get when you're here?" 

"A sandwich, maybe salad" he replied, both of them looking up from their menus to exchange a smile, then both of them forcing a laugh. 'Remember, the cameras are watching!' She told herself, her laughing quieting as he brought her hand to his lips, with the clicks of cameras outside, as he tried to shoo them off once more. It was so awkward, so weird. "Maybe we can split something, and go out for ice cream after." He suggested, watching as a few tabloid reporters tried to get a table inside, one of them even succeeding and sitting at the table next to them. Everything was quiet for s second, until one of them turned around and started asking questions. "No interviews please, we're trying to enjoy our DATE." The emphasis on the word made her flinch softly, but she covered it up by smiling warmly at him. Soon after the manager came over and kicked them out. She felt like some Barbie doll, in a play set. Perfect clothes, perfect day, perfect cafe, perfect boy, perfect date. 

"Tonight you have to come over for dinner, we have to take photos together and post them on social media for everyone." He said it calmly, he already had the schedule memorized, just like every day of his life. Marinette was just a part of it now. 

Adrien kept looking at her. Was this the way to approach this? He didn't know if he should be business about it, or if he should actually try to have a girlfriend, even if it was technically forced? He was consumed in thought so much he had forgotten to talk to her whatsoever. 

"Adrien, are you okay?" She asked, squeezing his hand again. He wasn't in the slightest, but at least she cared. "Really, Adrien. Is this what you want to do?" 

"We have to, it doesn't matter now." 

The words cracked her a bit, she knew he didn't want to be here in the slightest, but he was putting on a smile for the cameras. Was this his whole life? She had never realized before how much he might go through. "A-Adrien"

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'd rather have a fake marriage than have women still trying to get with me, and have 16 year old girls say they want to fuck me to my face. It's uncomfortable, you know?" He bit his lip, looking up at her. "Let's just split a sandwich and soup." 

"Perfect." She nodded, never realizing all the things he went through. "Maybe we could stop at my parent's house and get some baked goods instead of ice cream. We can even go to my old room and relax a little out of the eyes of the cameras" he nodded at this, a smile spreading on his lips. A genuine one. 

"That sounds lovely. We could even bring out one of your old video game consoles...." The pause wasn't uncomfortable in the slightest, as his smile grew as she started to giggle, thank god they were breaking the ice. As he ordered and looked at her for approval, her nodding and tapping her feet excitedly. 

They finished up their lunch with ease, both of them walking out hand in hand, much more believable than an hour prior. Both of them smiled wide and held hands, their tangled fingers holding tight in the cold November air. It was almost like a real first date. Almost. 

As they both slipped into the limo and the loud voices of the paps was muffled, both of them couldn't stop smiling at one another. "I don't think this will be so bad after all." 

At his words, she let out a sigh of relief, nodding and leaning on him, the both of them satisfied with their first date.


	5. - chapter 5: a photoshoot -

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also idk if you guys know but this was originally posted on wattpad, and I have chapters 1-9 posted. I just haven't had time to sit down and put them all up, thankfully I've had time to plan out the rest of the book and even the sequel!

It had only been a week, and social media had blown up like crazy. Her follower count on her fashion blog and her Instagram had doubled, and comments and likes had been happening left and right. She had been seen with Adrien a few times now, and she was officially his 'girlfriend.'

Her first photoshoot was today, and she was terrified. She would be in fashion magazines next to her absolutely perfect boyfriend in absolutely perfect Paris. Just the thought made her yawn, even if all eyes were on her. She - imagined it this way, but never THIS WAY. She always imagined a literal perfect, not a plastic perfect.

He watched her from across the room, she was sitting straight up as the blonde woman did her makeup for her, her face turning brighter and more doll like by the second. She was looking at him, too, a silent stare, unsure. His eyes trailed up to the soft dress behind her, blue and white, with a pair of heels on the counter. She was going to get plasticified, just like he had been for years. "How does it feel?"

"How does what feel?" She asked him innocently, batting her eyes. She had no idea what he had meant, he was just staring. He seemed... Disappointed.

"To have your first photoshoot."

"Oh! Um..... Good I think ? It will be good for attention and s-stuff... But. I don't know yet." As the makeup artist took a step back to admire her own work, Marinette smiled sweetly, thanking her, and looking in the mirror. "I could never do this much work to my face. You're a miracle worker, you can't even see my freckles anymore!"

He got up to get a closer look, his hand reaching out to help the small girl up. Wow, they really had made her plastic. It sickened him. He always liked her freckles. They would've been photoshopped out anyway.

"I have to get dressed, go get your own outfit on" she hesitated, looking back at the makeup stylist, before standing on her tip toes and pecking his cheek. Thank god the girl hadn't done her lipstick yet. Forced, it was forced. An extra action to make the artist possibly talk about it on Instagram or something. Any publicity they could get, they had to jump on.

"I'll see you soon, beautiful" the words were soft and sweet, his lips pressing to her forehead in a similar manner, before he was out and getting into his own perfect outfit.

The dress was something she'd never wear. The cut was low, it was strapless and it was just tiny in general. She didn't feel like her when she span around in the mirror. Was that a good thing? She bit her lips as they talked about how they'd photoshop out all the blemishes, her nodding and looking away, walking to the set quietly. Fake trees and flowers, a fake background and several people. More like 20 people, Adrien already getting his hair fixed to perfection. "Hey" she didn't know where to go, what to do or how to do it. No one spoke to her, they just assumed she knew what to do. She looked at her shoes and his shoes, feeling fuzzy on the inside.

"You're gonna do just fine, don't worry." He smiled encouraging at her, but in reality he hated the way she looked. Low cut, short, teeny tiny dress. And he hadn't thought it would have gotten worse after the makeup. "I'll try to make sure they don't push you too hard."

"Thank you, I mean it" as the two of them walked out to the set together, they exchanged soft and gentle smiles. This was possibly the person they'd have to spend the rest of their life with, doing things like this constantly. At least it was them, right?

"Alright alright! We have our two beautiful models here, and our wonderful wonderful crew. Today's shoot is about love, passion" the man with the accent spoke loudly, moving his hands with wild passion and fury, as he looked the two of them up and down. He definitely was having a vision. "You two need to look like your dancing. Someone get some music on! We need her looking sexy."

"S-sexy?" The word made her uncomfortable. Never had she been called sexy, much less by a stranger. She bat her eyes and looked up at Adrien, who had instinctively wrapped his arms around her. He leaned down, his lips close to her ear.

"This guy is seriously crazy. When I was 17 he wanted to do a underwear photoshoot. He wanted to do a naked one once I was legal. He thought it would be 'artistic'. I just think it's creepy." She laughed and nodded understandingly, doing her best to stare at him the way she used to when they were young. At least he was trying to lighten the mood.

"You two need to use the tree. Someone get a swing for the tree! Someone get me something." The two held onto one another, her extremely nervous, so much so she hadn't even realized her head was laid on his chest, her hands pressing into his chest. His heartbeat was slow, calm and gentle. He had done this hundreds of times before, so he was used to all the attention. She was not.

"You okay? It's gonna take them awhile before they actually start the photoshoot." He lead her to a fake rock nearby, knocking on it before siting down and pulling her into his lap. He was doing it all on purpose. "One time I sat on a paper mache rock, and I fell right through. My dad was soooo mad." He looked down at her wth a gentle smile, leaning down to brush their noses together.

"So.... D-do you think they're gonna make us like.... K-kiss and stuff?"

"Possibly." He shrugged, stating it simply. "I've never actually been kissed before. I've had to do a stage kiss with a model, but I've never actually kissed anyone."

"What's a stage kiss? I'm still so, so lost." She laughed, but blushed as his hands moved to cup her face, his thumbs covering her lips, as he confidently pressed them together. Their lips weren't touching, but simply both their lips to his thumbs.

"That's a stage kiss. In photos it looks like you're kissing, but we're both just kissing my thumbs. They use it for photoshoots if they need people to kiss... Or if in like, theater, they need it." He bat his eyes innocently, but she was nearly fainted.

"O-oh" she was so red. They'd probably have to stage kiss for dates. They'd have to stage kiss in public. They'd have to stage kiss on their wedding. She looked away, the thought saddening her a bit. Stage kisses.

"Alright alright! We need these two over here, sit on this swing." He took Marinette, sitting her down and posing her every last finger, even angling her face. Like a Barbie doll, and Adrien was her Ken.

She angled her face to look up at him, practicing the way they had taught her to smile. As the man quickly got his camera and started snapping away, she watched as he moved so fluidly, so naturally. He had done this a million times before, he was just used to it now.

"Sit on his lap. Look at him in the eyes." She obeyed as the man spoke loudly, him sitting with her in his lap, then batting her eyes and looking up at Adrien, his green eyes being her everything in the moment.

Adrien could feel it coming. The man was always for sexual appeal, even when Adrien was young. Marinette was going to be his puppet. At the words, 'pull your dress down a little' he winced, biting his tounge.

She did as the man said, blushing as a woman came over with makeup, to 'contour your collarbones, and make your cleavage bigger' and he was on the brink of snapping. They were trying to sexy her up, his knuckles turned white as he desperately tried to grip the rock, looking anywhere but at the makeup. It wasn't happening, they weren't corrupting her into the world of fame. They weren't forcing her in too fast, they weren't terrifying her.

Except they were. And it was all happening right on his lap, and he was letting it happen to her.

"Stop" his voice rang loud, causing both the photographer and the makeup artist to pause, but then cautiously continue. "STOP."

"Adrien, we need-"

"We don't need anything! She doesn't need this. She doesn't need to look like a Barbie doll! She doesn't need to wear a tiny dress and have her fucking boobs contoured to exactness just so that she can be my perfect girlfriend!" He gently pushed her off him, making sure she didn't fall as he stood up. "You can't do this to her! You can't let fame do this to her! I'm not letting dad hurt her like he did to me." The boy had never been so furious, he had never stood up to someone about this before, and now he didn't know what to do. So he just took her hand and walked back to her dressing room with her, slamming the door behind him and locking it.

"Adrien-"

"They're going to come and try to get us out of here." He looked at his shoes, a little embarrassed at his outburst. Maybe he had been overanalyzing and she was completely fine.

"I..... I didn't like what they were doing to me either." She whispered, looking at herself in the mirror blankly, before a smile started to appear. A smile turned into laughter. Laughing harder and harder and harder until he looked up, and noticed the tears down her face. "Is this what your life is like?"

"You're a female, so yes, but they'll ruin you more than me." He looked around frantically, grabbing the makeup wipes once he found them, sitting on the floor. "Come here, Mari." His whisper was soft and affectionate, filled with gentle air. He did care for her deeply. Maybe not like a husband or boyfriend or whatever he was supposed to be, but at least like a best friend. For now.

Marinette sniffled and gently sat down on the floor, looking up at him as he started to remove all of her makeup. It took him 5 wipes just to get it all off.

"There's my favorite freckles."


	6. - chapter 6: meeting 2.0 -

Marinette walked through the large building, smiling and waving at some of her co-workers as they talked over coffee, making her way all the way to the top floor. Gabriel needed to see her again, with updates on her designs. But she knew that wasn't the only thing.

He wanted an update on her relationship. It was plain and simple, he wanted to make sure things were going according to plan. People believed it, girls were jealous as ever, their photos were all over magazines. Everything a fake relationship could buy. 

She checked in with Nathalie casually, her two binders proudly in her hands. Even if she wasn't absolutely madly in love with Adrien yet, it was still an honor to have private meetings with one of the most influential names in fashion. 

"Hello Mr. Agreste! I have my updates" she placed the binders before him, relaxing into the chair. Something about being in a fake relationship with his son was relieving. He trusted her, he had faith in her. She didn't feel like she could fail him. 

"Thank you, Miss Marinette." He quickly flipped through the pages, his hands running over a few fabric choices. "What about this one in green?" He mumbled, writing a small note next to it, as well as a few others. 

"Maybe we make that one in multiple colors, I personally like it in purple." She bit her lip, thinking about it in blue and green, as well as pink and purple. "Hmm" as he rolled away in his chair and came back, he had color swatches ready. 

"This blue is a nice tone. How was your date with him yesterday?" He dropped it very lightly, like it was nothing. But it wasn't nothing to Marinette. 

"The dinner was really nice, he was a true gentleman, as always. Our.... Our relationship has developed, I guess" she smiled softly, watching him look up with a smile. He knew, right away. "W-we're not in love or anything yet! But we care for one another, a lot a lot. He'd do so much to protect me and I'd do so much to protect him." 

"This is good, is this a yes?" Quickly she shook her head. She needed more time, it had only been 3 weeks. She needed more time. She felt he did too, deciding to get married after 3 weeks wasn't a good idea. 

"How about something different than dates... I was thinking about booking Adrien an interview where he talks allll about you, but I think I have a better idea." The smile on his face made her nervous, as he closed up the books. "How about I ship the two lovebirds off on a vacation?" 

"A-a vacation? But the spring line-" 

"I will give you all the fabrics and anything you need to design. You can call me whenever." He held his hand out, her raising her eyebrows. "Give me your phone, I will give you my personal number."

No one had his personal cell phone except Nathalie. And she only had it, because she was the link between the rest of the company and him. Now she was the first employee to have personal contact with him, and it was more than a big deal to her. 'Shut up Marinette, he's trying to be your father-in-law, of course he's going to give you his personal number', she told herself, but it still all felt like a dream. 

"I have a vacation home in Greece I haven't used since Adrien was 7, you two could go there for two weeks, post some pictures, I could even send a crew down there to take professional photos." He suggested the idea to her, her hesitating. 

"No crew. We'll take plenty photos on vacation." She smiled and nodded, him opening up his laptop. "Can I ask Adrien first? I can go to the site of his photoshoot...." As Nathalie popped in, she explained that there was a mistake in Adrien's outfit, and that it needed altering. "I'll do it, and I'll talk to him. I'll call you about it when I'm done." She stood up, smiling and thanking him, walking off to get into the car they already had arranged for her. 

\--

Adrien groaned as he heard they were sending a stylist. whenever this happened, the girls would always flirt with him like crazy, and it made him insane. He hated it when outfits weren't perfect, usually he just dealt with it, but sadly the outfit being two sizes too big was just too much this time.

He groaned as the car rolled up, looking at his phone to distract him. But as he heard that gorgeous giggle and a hello, he looked up to see his 'girlfriend', a smile appearing on his face. At least she was someone who would respect his boundaries, even if it was ironic. His girlfriend of all people.

"Hey babe!" He forced the pet name out, hugging her close. "I'm so glad he sent you, I haven't seen you all day!" 

"Of course! Me and him were having a conversation, and you needed help! Anything for my baby." She winked at him, both of them sharing a soft laugh. They had gotten quite good at pretending to be affectionate. He even craved it, sometimes. Even if it was all fake he craved being the center of her attention.

"Alright, wow, how did someone mess up this bad?" She got down on her knees, him already knowing what to do as he fixed up his pants, the camera crew taking a quick lunch break. "This outfit is gonna look good, once I can actually fix it up."

"I hope so. Why were you and father having a conversation?" He raised his eyebrows at her, flashing her a smile. "Was he talking about your gorgeous designs?"

"That, and we were talking about you."

"Me? Why me?" He knew to stay as still as possible, he had been pricked by a pin on his thighs too many times. "What did he get you up to?" 

"Well..... I got you out of an interview. But we're gonna do something more fun instead." She was exited, exited was definitely good. And thank the lord, no interviews. He hated the endless 'what do you look for in a girl' or 'would you ever date a fan?' It was tiring and he was glad to have as little as possible. 

"What's so fun? It seems he got you exited."

"He said we could go on vacation!" 

He raised his eyebrows. "What do you definite as a vacation? Because sure I've been out of the country, but never without a huge photo crew."

"No! He said we could just go you and me! Just us, together in Greece." She giggled and moved up to his shirt, taking his jacket off to quickly hem and pick at it, making it smaller and smaller, until it attractively fit to his body. "Now just your jacket, and then my work will be done. we obviously don't have dates worked out, but does t sound fun to you?" 

"Loads. I'll text you later."


	7. - chapter 7: planes r fun -

Adrien dragged the suitcase behind him, packed for 2 weeks exactly. Every lunch, every tourist attraction, every moment they had for themselves was all planned out, and was given to them on a piece of paper, which she held in her hand, slightly wrinkled.

"I've never had a vacation that wasn't for my parents work before" she smiled wide, bouncing on her toes happily. Greece, just the two of them. Their "private" vacation, their two weeks to just learn about one another (and take as many 'sickeningly adorable' photos as possible).

"Me either. This is the first time I kinda... Get time alone, you know?" He smiled down at the exited girl, who was humming a silly tune. He felt his heart warm, her excitement was quite contagious. He had grown quite attached to her after being with her so often, being married to her wouldn't be bad in the slightest. He actually silently thanked his father, at least it wasn't Chloe. Oh god, at least it wasn't Chloe.

"Well you won't technically be alone, but trust me, I'll give you alone time when you need it." She smiled wide, linking their hands together as they boarded the first class jet for them. "Wow.... Oh my god!" She knew they were rich, but damn, sometimes she forgot. "I'm so exited that I barley even slept. Hopefully I can nap on the plane before our one and only pap session before complete solitude."

The flight to Athens was 3 and a half hours, and both of them had brought plenty to make them occupied, but somehow had grown bored after the first hour, simply sitting next to one another, as he mindlessly plaid a little game on his phone, trying to distract himself from his running thoughts about her. "I think it's time for that nap" it came out of her mouth coated by a yawn, Adrien putting the phone down for a moment to wrap her up in a blanket and put a pillow down for her.

He yawned, the blonde's arms reaching up to the sky momentarily. "You know, a nap sounds pretty great right now." He grabbed his own pillow and fluffed it up, putting it behind his head to sit back and close his eyes. He attempted to sleep for a good 10 minutes, but simply couldn't. His thoughts were running like a stampede, screaming in his mind.

They were going to be alone in Greece. Just them two, in a nice house with a nice pool and a nice view. It made him all.... Warm. Very warm and cozy thinking about it. They could snuggle up next to one another on a couch, they could go swimming together, they could go for long walks.... Wait what?

Adrien couldn't fall for her. She was his arranged wife. Usually those things didn't work out. They weren't supposed to, that would be too cliche. Even if he always knew he'd have an arranged marriage, he always taught himself to be destined to be placed next to miss perfect, not with his old classmate.

She had been on his mind a lot, actually never fully leaving his mind. He was always thinking about her, when he would see her next, when their next date was. He was exited, at least that's what he thought it was compared to. He would probably actually enjoy dating the girl, if it wasn't for their every move being planned out.

He hadn't noticed how his arm had draped around her, and how her head laid in his lap. How she had curled up into a ball, and how small she was. Wow, she was tiny compared to him. Not short to say, but tiny. Tiny. He hadn't noticed the sleepy smile on her face, or how her heartbeat slowed, and his only sped up. Nope, he totally wasn't watching her every movement. With adoration, nonetheless.

He felt his cheeks burn red. She was so, so wonderful. It had hit him just how lucky he was to be arranged with someone like Marinette.

Maybe his dad always knew this was how it'd go. Maybe Father was waiting for a girl like this one for him, a girl who could take over the business but not absolutely annoy him to death.

"Adrien, why aren't you sleeping? Come hereeee." He snapped out of his thoughts as the girl sleepily mumbled to him, his slightly shocked expression melting into a warm smile and nod of agreement, as he got up and let her got situated, slipping right up next to her, they were spooning and he definitely wasn't the big spoon.

"Sorry. Got a lot on the mind."

"Anything you want to share?"

".... Nah. Let's just go to sleep, okay?"

And he did, her warm arms opening the pearly gates to envelop him in sleep.

\--

Adrien awoke two hours later, his head gently placed in her lap as Marinette threw her hair into a bun and redid her makeup. "Hello beautiful" his smile was oh so gentle, just delicately placed there as he looked up at his girlfriend.

"What's up, hot stuff?" She joked, pausing for a moment to look down at him with a grin. "You aren't too bad for a husband, you know?"

"And you, aren't too bad for a wife."

And with that they got up, linked arms, and got out into the airport.

 

 


	8. - chapter 8: purple sunglasses -

The house was about everything she had expected. Large stone walls, a gorgeous view, all wrapped up with nice weather. Today was Wednesday, their second day there. (The first day was uneventful, mostly them two having food delivered to their home and then going to sleep shortly after.)

As Marinette slowly sat up and stretched her arms to the sky, her phone started beeping, to remind Marinette for the millionth time to check the schedule, stay on the schedule.

She unlocked it with ease, the perfect color coded schedule right in front of her eyes. 10:00 take the car into the city, 11:00 go on a walking tour together (make sure you look extra lovey), 1:00 eat lunch outside, 2:00 break at the house, 2:30 go to the beach, 5:00 go out for dinner, 6:00 take/use photos from the day, post them on social media.

It was nice that his father had Nathalie plan out their every moment, but it was too much. The schedule wasn't too hectic, but she felt too controlled. Their vacation was their vacation, they wanted to have fun together.

She knew the whole idea of "there won't be any paps" was out of the equation too. Paps were everywhere and unavoidable, especially now that they knew the model boy and his new girl toy were out and about on a "getaway" to Greece. With a sigh she slipped out of bed, running to the bathroom to get ready for the morning.

Adrien woke up about 20 minutes later, hearing the soft sounds of cooking downstairs and a gentle voice, humming a tune to herself. The beautiful smell of crepes filled his nose, and he truly felt content.

Everything was much brighter in Greece. The home had all white walls (except the kitchen which was a light blue) and it actually had colored and home-y accents to it. Maybe his mother was in charge of this house's atmosphere. As he turned the corner into the kitchen, the crepes came into sight, his mouth practically watering. "Good morning."

"Good morning! We got a busy one" she bounced on her toes, continuing to hum casually as Adrien climbed up onto the counter and sat, watching with his mouth watering. A bakers daughter she sure was.

"Tomorrow, eggs and bacon are on the menu. There's a bunch of stuff on the fridge, you can choose what you want to dress your crepes up"

Breakfast went by with ease, throughout the day the two seemed more and more comfortable around one another. On the car ride there they talked about their favorite place in France, on the walking tour their hands stayed comfortably locked together, she noticed Adrien would squeeze her hand when he saw something he was amazed by, which was honestly the cutest thing ever. On the way to the little cafe they had picked he stole her sunglasses, and she stole his (hers happened to be cat eye sunglasses. He was wearing purple cat eye sunglasses and he looked like a total nerd.) And now they were splitting lunch, a big bowl of pasta.

She had never really seen him like this before. There wasn't many if any paps, it was just them two on a happy vacation, acting like a REAL married couple. Okay, maybe not married, but they weren't awkwardly staring at their meals, avoiding eye contact and conversation at all costs. It was definitely nice, to say the least.

"So you've never really been that far out of the country? I usually go on tours every other year, all over Europe and even America." She nodded, her mouth too full to speak. She was quite hungry after the light breakfast and the plenty of walking. Adrien let a soft sigh part past his lips as he took the napkin in his hand, gently dabbing her face. "You were hungry, eh?"

"I'm so sorry" she looked away and blushed, swallowing the food in her mouth and looking back at him, starting to laugh, Adrien joining in. "When I'm hungry I can be a bit crazy. I'm so sorry."

"No! It's okay. I get grumpy when they put my lunch break late. I need to eat or else I don't have enough energy for even 20 more minutes of photoshoot. I understand totally!" His hand found hers from across the table.

"Youre being silly today, you know that right? You're still wearing my purple sunglasses."

"Hey! I look good!" He pouted, then flashed her a grin that gave her an odd sudden feeling of nostalgia, but brushed it off as nothing. "finally, after this we can have a quick break and then it's time to go out and get our swim on!"

"I'm exited. There's apparently pool stuff that has been shipped to the house, if you want to play frisbee or go bodyboarding." She grinned, thanking the waiter as he wrapped up their meal and Adrien paid. "It's only the first half of the first day. and you're already an entirely different person." Except he wasn't. She was, oddly familiar with it. She liked it though, and hoped it would keep up.

"I'm just being me! I don't get to be me often. I needed this vacation, and I'm gonna spend every minute of it relaxing my booty off." He linked hands with her once more as they left out, her digging her sunhat out of her rather large bag. "Should I steal that and wear it too?"

"Adrien! Shh!" She stifled her giggles, very innefectivaly, as they both made their way to the car. Once she calmed down, she let out a long breath, smiling wide up at him. "One day can we rent bikes and go on a tour?"

"Anything you want, princess"

And her heart beat fast again and she didn't know why but everything felt so right.

\---

When they got to the house, they quickly changed into their little outfits, smiling wide as they gathered all their things together. Their first beach trip.

"I feel like such a teenager. I remember Nino and Alya telling us the stories about all the places they'd go on vacation, God, I never thought vacation would actually be fun for me you know? I'm not actually working, I'm 'working.' It's great!" He slung the green bag over his shoulder, still clad with the same purple sunglasses, which ensued a giggle out of Marinette.

"What? I can work these." He posed, giving her another grin. "I look pawisitively amazing."

"Oh my god. Please, no puns." She groaned, rolling her eyes. "The entire city of Paris had to deal with chat noir for 8 years, I'm punned out for eternity."

"Really? I thought he was just gettin started." Both of them got into the car, her turning the radio on, of course it was all in Greek so she couldn't understand a word, but she didn't mind at all. "Can you put the top down?"

"Of course!" He pressed the button to slowly let the top down, starting up the car and going off to the beach. Her hair, pinned up in a perfect bun, had started to get a little messy, and after 15 offerings to put the top back up and 3 attempts to repin it, she groaned and let it all out. "Looks like I'm going all down today."

Adrien stared and hadn't even realized he was staring. The car was parked, and it seemed he was too.

"Adrien? What, you can't handle your girlfriend wearing her hair down?"

"I've just never seen it down, you look.... Really, really pretty." He bat his eyes, shaking his head to snap back into reality, or at least as much reality as he could take at the moment.

"Thank you! Maybe I'll wear it down more if you like it that much.." She played with it shyly, slipping his sunglasses (yes, they still have traded sunglasses goddammit) down over her eyes, and quickly gathered the rest of the bags, looking out at the beach with a wide smile. "Come on! Adrien, you silly. You can't stare forever!"

"Well I mean I can but"

"Shut up! Come on." She posed and laughed, watching him get out of the car with a wide smile. "We need to set everything up! We can grab a drink, relax, OR, we could splash one another recklessly, if you like!"

"How about a little of both?" He picked up the umbrella and the remaining bags, walking out to the sand with her. "Wow."

She looked around at the beach, it was a pretty private one so not many people were there, but there was a volleyball court, and what seemed like sunshine and plenty of waves. "I'm so exited! How about you set up and I grab us something?" She smiled, running over to grab both of them a drink, as the boy planted the umbrella into the sand, weighed down the towels, and even set the little table they brought with up, looking at it proudly. It was about the only thing he was ever allowed to build himself.

"Here! I didn't know what to get you." She handed him the glass, sitting down on the black towel.

"Hey, that's my towel!"

"What, I thought you would want the purple one to match your sunglasses."

"Well, now that you mention it," He grinned at her, sitting down proudly on the purple towel. "This one is pretty nice."

They made small conversation as they finished up their drinks, then decided to get out into the water and have some fun. Bodyboarding, wave jumping, a bunch of stupid kid stuff, but it was so much fun nonetheless, and Adrien was having the time of his life. "We shouldn't even go out to dinner tonight. I want to stay in with you."

"Will you help me make it?" She raised her eyebrows, a playful smirk on her lips as a hand rested on his chest, both of them feeling completely different than they had only 2 weeks ago.

"Of course! I'm not a good cook, but I'm a good listener and I hope I can learn fast."

"You're hired then" She whipped out her phone, holding it up. "We should probably get some 'sickeningly cute' photos while we're here, we are technically at work, remember?"

"Yeah yeah, or we could just get some sickeningly cute photos to show off to our friends" his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close, his fingers slightly digging into her as they took quite a few selfies, some with them being very pretty, others of them being very silly, including one of them touching noses, faces scrunched up. That was her favorite, and was probably the most Instagram-worthy picture.

"Alright. At least our work for the day is done! Now it's a time, for you and me to grocery shop and relax. What do you want for dinner?"

"I have the perfect dinner, just for us two" he left a kiss on her cheek, starting to pack all the items up.

"Do you like duck?"

"You romantic bastard."

 

 


	9. - chapter 9: obligitory kissing practice -

Soft classical music filled the kitchen air, as the two hovered over a phone with directions on how to prepare their wonderfully romantic meal: sautéed duck with peas and a side of cheesy bread, and a nice bottle of Beaujolais to top it off.

"Like this?" the blonde mumbled, slowly and carefully cutting the duck the way the directions said, using hesitant hands to not cut himself, just as Marinette had shown him. Marinette paused her work on the bread as she noticed him struggle slightly, her caring hands coming up behind him to help him cut through it correctly. An amused smile arose on his face, as little Marinette had to balance on the tips of her toes, just to be able to see over his shoulder. "What a small you are."

"Shh! You're just tall, you're doing really really well by the way! See, you're learning fast. Before you know it we'll be cooking things up together every night." She moved back and smiled fondly at him, watching his concentrated eyes cut through the meat the way she had shown him. Once he was just about done, she started up the peas, and threw the bread in the oven, rubbing her hands together and licking her lips. Just by the smell, both of their mouths were watering. "This is gonna be a nice meal. No publicity. Just you and me." She hummed, coating the skillet in oil, then seasoning the duck he had ready. "alright, I've never done this before, but it can't be too hard, right?" The ends of her mouth perked up, as Adrien read the directions out loud to her for the millionth time. "Yeah yeah, watch the peas."

Marinette was a natural when it came to cooking, she was born and raised on it. Cooking duck was no problem for her, just like cooking almost anything else. She sautéed the dish with ease, throwing it on a plate, giving her boyfriend a high-five in response.

"We did it! Romantic meal for two 'lovebirds', all ready to go." Both of them put the final seasoning on it and garnished it with some parsley, then walked out to the porch to eat their meal together, the whole shebang ready. Table cloth, even some cute flowers in the middle. "Wow, I'm actually proud of us. This looks really really good." She took a picture of their creations, smiling up at the boy who was already begging to dig in. "See, this is why you should have eaten more at lunch."

"That's not important now! This isssss." He gripped his fork and knife in hand, but pouted as he watched Marinette struggle with the wine bottle. "Give it here, darling" he winked and flashed a joking grin, letting out a soft chuckle as he attempted at opening it. "Fuck, it's on there good." And after a good minute of two ex Superheros trying to open a bottle, his hand swung back, cork in fist, as his hand nearly punched her right in the face.

"Oh my god oh my god I'm so so sorry." Adrien instantly felt horrible, even for the near miss. The bottle was on the table and his arms snaked around her tight. "That was so close, I would have given you a black eye. Oh my god..." His hand gripped the shirt on her back, his look so worried you would have almost sworn he DID punch her in the face. "My heart is pounding. Oh my god."

"I'm fine, you didn't even touch me!" she felt her face heat and heart pound at his concern and worry for her. "Really Adrien, you didn't even hit my arm. All you caught was air." She gave him a reassuring smile, reaching down for his hand and squeezing it. "I'm okay, really."

"But it could have been a disaster"

"And it wasn't? So let's move on" she pulled away from the hug and kissed his forehead, making her way back to the table. "Anyway, it's a fun story I get to tell. 'Remember the time when my arranged husband almost hit my in the face on our first vacation?'' They shared a soft laugh, before the food was dug into.

As they ate they shared more small conversation, about the pride in their meal, other meals Adrien would like to cook, their favorite foods, even their ideal date night foods. Once they were done they cleaned up their plates, washing them off together and putting them in the wash.

"I've never been there for the whole process like that before. It's so.... Cool! I got to cook and eat and clean." He was even excited about cleaning the dishes. 'How much cuter can the boy get?' Marinette thought to herself, bouncing on her toes as he figured out how to start the dishwasher.

"Maybe we should cook more often then."

"Looking forward to it." As the two walked out of the kitchen together, she looked around at the large living room, doing a twirl around herself, as she marveled at all the items. The few pictures on the wall were mostly generic Greece paintings and photos, but there was a few ones of Gabriel and his wife, and one of Adrien as a child, and even one of them as a family.

Her hand traced the small boys face, she smiled and plopped herself down on the couch. "You were a cute child." She smiled at the family, noticing all the little differences between Adrien and the two parents. His mother's eyes, his father's... Well. He actually didn't look much like his father. He was truly his mother's child, personality and all.

"Thanks, but I had makeup on in that photo. Dad had to make sure I looked perfect, I had coffee that morning to wake me up for the photos, which made my cheeks red and then they had to put foundation on me. I wouldn't be surprised if it's airbrushed either." He shrugged the topic off, his weight plopping down on the couch right next to her, letting out a yawn. They had a long day, but both of them still had a final thing to do before they were officially "off work." "We should probably take some photos, we ARE at work, after all" he shifted up on the couch and pulled the phone out of his back pocket, rubbing his eyes and looking down at her.

"You're right. I think I recalled the notes as 'look smitten and intimate'. Imagine your father using a word like smitten. I'm suprised." Both of them shared a laugh, as he held up the camera, both of them leaning close, their cheeks pressing up against one another in the photo. Both of them grew slightly nervous. They knew what he meant by intimate, they knew exactly what he meant. But neither of them wanted to mention it to the other.

"So um." He spoke up after about 5 photos, biting his lip, nervously fixing his hair. He knew what his dad meant. And as they shared a look, they both knew the other knew. "Should we- I mean.... Only if you're comfortable?"

"Well I just... Don't really want...." He felt his cheeks blush more, looking away. He was extremely embarrassed, she didn't even want to think about kissing him. "No! Adrien I don't want my first kiss with you to be on camera, not that I don't want to kiss you" her hand reached up to squeeze and press into his shoulder, his eyes trailing up to meet hers, the couple sharing flustered smiles.

"We could like....." He averted his eyes again, staring at his twiddling thumbs, the air becoming thick with awkward. "We could do kissing practice, like, if you want to." He let out a breathy laugh, really really unsure if she wanted to kiss him. He wanted to kiss her, he would have to do it eventually.

"I.... Yeah! Sorry, gosh, let me put Chapstick on, I feel like a 8th grader again. Hold on! I want to brush my teeth" her face was red as she bound up the stairs, going to brush her teeth, then coat her lips in Chapstick and a layer of red lipgloss. She looked at herself in the mirror, bouncing on her toes. Kissing practice, of course they'd have to practice kissing.

As she started to walk down the stairs, she smiled breathlessly at him, he had popped a mint into his mouth and he too, was sliding some Chapstick across his lips. "What flavor are you wearing? I have flavorless stuff, so it's not two flavors that don't mix."

"It's cherry." She sat down, batting her eyes up at him. "It's okay to be nervous right? Nervous is good." Both of them shared a breathy laugh and a moment of silence, before turning to meet one another's gaze.

"So. Okay...." Adrien took a few deep breaths in and out, his hand hesitantly trailing to cup her cheek. "Alright, are you ready?"

"Ready as I can be."

Both of them hesitated. They looked at one another for a few moments, before closing their eyes, one of the two parties still hesitating while the other leaned in, hands on her cheeks, ready to dive in to the kissing part.

Their lips met at an awkward angle. It wasn't a perfect first kiss, but it was a first kiss, she guessed. She had squeaked, he had hit her nose on accident. They were both blushing furiously out of embarrassment, as they both pulled away.

"Well that wasn't movie-tastic. I always expected my first kiss to be abosolutely amazing." He laughed, his hand slipping into his own hair out of nerves. "Okay. Let's try again, this time lets.... H-hmm."

Marinette watched the boy explain it all to him. Even if her first kiss hadn't been absolutely amazing, she was totally out of it. Model boy, with his pink stained cheeks, his hand in his hair and that adorable button nose was trying to explain how he could kiss her, and she wasn't paying attention at all. Not one bit.

Instead, she craved more kisses. She licked her lips and watched his own, as they formed soft words, a smile growing on her face. She wanted to try that again. And as the thought popped into her mind, her hands were on his cheeks, pulling him down to her height, for more lip to lip contact.

Adrien grunted, his eyes going wide for a moment, before his eyebrows met in a furrow, his arms finding their way around his waist, his heart slamming against his chest due to the gentle contact. THAT was a kiss. As both of them pulled away, they both started to laugh, arms still tight around the other.

"I think I'm ready for those photos now."  
\--

Gabriel was suprised that they could go up and over "sickeningly adorable" the next morning.


	10. - chapter 10: fake -

Adrien had never loathed a word so much in his life.

The first few times she'd say it, his smile would falter a teeny bit but usually he'd recover. She didn't mean anything big by it, she was, just, stating the facts. He wasn't supposed to even find it bothersome, really. She didn't mean anything by it. 

But as the hours went on, it turned into a large word in her vocabulary. She was almost, exited to use it. She'd look around and smile after she said it, a word only meant to be heard by him and her. As the hours went on of them two going on their little vacation, he noticed how fake and scripted her movements were, too. He realized how much thought she put into it, she was really fooling everyone. 

Even him.

And that was the problem. 

"Come on Adrien, you want to dance with your fake girlfriend, don't you?" 

Adrien ran a hand through his hair and forced out a chuckle as she said it again. Fake. Just the way she pronounced it made his skin itch and crawl and hurt. He looked away to hide a grimace. Why did it have to be fake? Why couldn't it be any other word, why fake. He clenched his fists and bit his lip, realizing he hadn't given her a reply yet, the soft music in the background only making his thoughts worse. 

He nodded silently, taking her hand and pulling her close, swaying to the music with her. All of it was fake. Fake upon fake upon fake. Her little smile was fake, the way she laughed was fake, her kissing him for fucks sake, it was all fake. She didn't have feelings for him and he shouldn't have feelings for her. But god dammit, why did she need to use the stupid word fake?

"You okay? You seem.... Tense." She bat her eyes up at him, raising her eyebrows for a few moments. Fake, fake fake fake. He had to remind himself. Just in case someone was going to walk in on them, they were all like this. Just oh so possibly in case someone were for a split second to think they were-

"I'm good. fine, really." 

His own gruff voice surprised him, he was tired of the day already. He was scared that he was growing tired of Marinette in general. And as Adrien pulled her closer and swayed through the room with her, the words burned in his mind, that he would never be her real boyfriend or her real husband or her real soulmate. Hed always be her prince, perfectly arranged. 

He truly felt sick. 

The next song was silent between the two of them, her face hidden in the crook of his neck, his hands gripping her a little gentle as he attempted to clear his mind of the word. Maybe pretend she never said it, he didn't know but he needed a solution, fast. 

He was building walls, good, strong, sturdy walls. He would be fine, just like every other thing in his life. 

"Do you think we'll ever have fake kids?" 

What he thought was sturdy was like hay in that low blow.

As the walls came crashing down, he pulled away in disgust. He looked at her with a grimace, and could feel his heart and head filling up to the brim with rage, ready to blow.

So he did.

"What the hell?"

"What?"

"Fake? Really? How many times are you going to say that today? Fake house, fake boyfriend, fake girlfriend, fake marriage, he'll, you even said fucking fake hamster! What the hell, Marinette?" His fists clenched in his hands, his eyebrows furrowing. "Now you're even calling human lives fake!" 

"What? I was just playing-"

"Don't even use that excuse with me! Marinette why is being with me so bad that you have to point out that it's fake every 5 fucking minutes! Why can't we just act like we're real dating, for like, 5 seconds!" He stomped his foot, feeling hot tears stream down his face. He felt so stupid, to think he could actually fall for her and hold her hand maybe have her love him back. All she wanted was the stupid company, he should've known. 

"I don't..... Adrien do you know the definition of an arranged marriage?" 

"Why can't you just let something not fake happen for once in my life? Well if you're gonna shut me down like that, two can play at that game." 

As he started to walk away he felt a small hand around his arm, viciously shaking it off and rolling his eyes, stomping up the stairs. Somewhere in between the stairs and the slamming of his door the music stopped, and his body collapsed on the bed, his pillow already hot from his tears. 

He couldn't believe he let her in, that he thought maybe he could finally have something with someone. She was just like his father, possibly even worse. She actually pretended she cared. She actually pretended she loved him and that she wanted to be with him. He always thought that maybe if his father pretended he'd be okay, but God, he never wanted anyone to pretend with him ever again.


	11. - chapter 11: new beginnings -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which my losers are losers

Marinette stopped the music with a click of the button, staring up at the tall blonde who stomped up the remaining stairs, and slammed the door behind him, feeling herself jump a little. She looked away at the floor, feeling extremely guilty about her actions, completely oblivious to the effect it had given the boy.

To be perfectly honest, she was trying to push him away. She didn't think he wanted her affections, and had tried to laugh it off with a little thing to remind her that she wasn't close to him, she wasn't supposed to be. She was the next suitor for a fashion empire, not his perfectly picked wife. She wasn't supposed to be close to him.

So she tried to get herself into a perfect routine of push and pull. Push, pull, push, pull. It would be fine, enough to keep them close but not too close. Believable for the media.

She didn't expect, that literally after 1 singular day of this, he would be broken in his room.

She slumped on the couch and stared at the wall, reviewing the things she said. Wow, fake kids? She did feel pretty bad about that one. As she continued in her thoughts, her eyebrows furrowed and she pulled a blanket over her, biting her lip. She didn't know how to apologize.

Well, sorry was a good start. But you can't just waltz into your arranged boyfriend's room and just go sorry and he just magically forgives you and you live happily ever after, especially when feelings are the main problem.

So Marinette sat for a good hour, thinking, rubbing her temples and thinking about everything she said to him, everything she was sorry for, maybe even things she wanted to confess to him. The words he said repeated in her head over and over. More specifically, "Why can't we just act like we're real dating, for like, 5 seconds!" and "Why can't you just let something not fake happen for once in my life?" were the ones that stung the most.

Had he wanted her? She felt embarrassed. She hadn't even noticed, she assumed he was playing the game just like she was. Suddenly she felt really, really terrible about it, and could feel the hot tears down her own face. He wanted to love her, possibly. Maybe.

Hopefully, or else she was gonna look like a really big idiot when she walked in there.

She felt the thumping of her heart turn into slamming as the loud squeaks of her coming up the stairs filled the silent house, she was very embarrassed, very frustrated and very disappointed, all in herself.

Her hand hesitated at the door, hell, she even thought about not doing it at all. Her hand shook as it would grip the door handle, then brush off, but grip it again. She continued the vicious cycle of anxiety, until she let out a loud huff and used her force to push the door open, biting her lip as she gazed upon the mess on his bed.

The sheets were sprawled around his legs, any other blanket kicked off, and any pillow he could find surrounding him in a barricade like fashion. Most of his face was hidden in a pillow, but from what she could see, red and blotchy cheeks, and messy, messy hair. His hand was gripped around the t-shirt he had taken off, wet. He had been using it as his towel for his tears. Her heart stopped all at once, her stomach dropping into the abyss.

Adrien truly hadn't noticed her until now, and felt his cheeks go even more red than they were as he noticed her standing there, silently. He had been too caught up in his own thoughts.

"Go away" he weakly mustered, turning onto his stomach so she could no longer see his face, him groaning as he heard her move closer. "Please..."

"I didn't know I was hurting you." She moved forward, slowly, her hands clasped together. She was trying her best to delicately talk to him, she really, really didn't want to get into a screaming match with the boy, it would do no good for either of them.

"Well you were. It's fine, I'll just forget about it." His voice was muffled as he hid in the pillow, and seemed to cover himself with more pillows. He said something else, but she could only make out the word 'stupid.' And that was about it. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she sat on the end of the bed hesitantly.

"I was..... I didn't want to let you in."

Silence. She bit her lip and looked down at the floor, tapping her feet on the cold wood gently. "I..... Thought you wouldn't love me that way, so.... I pushed you away. I wasn't just telling you this was fake, I was reminding myself it was fake. I didn't realize that you'd be hurt, I-I....." She felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes, as she quickly tried to bat them away, the motion doing nothing to help, tears instead starting to roll down her cheeks. "I-I'm so sorry... I never want to hurt you..." Her voice shook, just like her hands and her heart.

Adrien moved a pillow just a smidge, and turned on his side, watching the girl. Her body shook, tears fell down her cheeks, and her face was really, really broken. Before he knew it, he felt his hand gently crawl out of his blanket cocoon, and gently find its way into hers. If he wasn't going to speak, he could at least comfort.

"God, Adrien, if you wanted a real relationship you should have just told me, I wouldn't have done any of this."

"But do you want a real relationship?"

His voice sounded like thin broken glass, weak, sharp around the edges, in pieces. She felt her own heart stab a little with the sound of it. She squeezed his hand tighter, and turned back to look at him, well, the inch of his face that wasn't covered.

"Of course I do, god dammit how are you so oblivious" she laughed softly, and as she felt the tug of his arm she pulled some of the pillows off, crawling in next to him, her hands pressed up on his chest. "I'll have you know, I used to have the biggest crush on you all through lycee." They shared a broken laugh, his eyes drooping closed.

"So we're gonna try this? For real this time?" She mused, her hands gently slipping into his hair.

"For real this time." His fingers held her waist tight, and they sealed the deal with a kiss.

Okay, kissES.

 


	12. - chapter 12: going home -

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so mad bc I couldn't write this perfect and it's really shit and rushed but people were begging and I just got tired and updated I'm sorry it's not as good quality

The soft sounds of the jacuzzi bubbling and their laughter and clinks of glasses rung through the air, as the two celebrated their last night in Greece together, snuggled up in the warm water, sharing a drink. 

"You know, I've noticed your hair is starting to lighten up, it's starting to get to a similar color of your dad's." Her hand reached up to play with the short strands of his hair, as both of them shared a soft laugh and a kiss. "Or maybe you're just getting old."

"I am twenty-four, I'm far from old, you know." He pulled her closer, his face hiding into her neck, his lips leaving a gentle kiss on her shoulder. "Besides, my father has had white hair since i can remember." She hummed in response, her hand still playing with his soft strands, her eyes closed and a content smile on her face. 

They had only been real dating for around 3 days, but their dynamic had done a complete 180. They really truly wanted to be next to one another, they wanted to kiss and they wanted to snuggle all the time. The only 'fake' thing left was all the amounts of photos they had to take constantly, and that wasn't even a big deal to either of them. 

"I like it. You look cute as hell." Her lips leaned up to meet his, her long eyelashes tickled his nose, and her soft hands gripped his shoulders tight. every kiss was a different experience and they loved it so much, learning how the other worked and how they fit into that, really really. 

"Tonight's the last night, then it's back to hell, hmm?" He mumbled, his lips finding her shoulder and peppering a few baby kisses on the freckled skin. He loved her freckles, more than anything. He was sad they'd be bundled back up in the March air back at home. 

"It won't be hell. I'll make sure no one over works you, got it? I don't want anyone to make you insane. You're only wearing 6 outfits, and three of them are mine, and two of them is your father's, which means I'll still be fitting you into it. You'll be fine, I promise. I'm so nervous and exited, but it's all gonna work out. I hope at least? Let's try to not MAKE it hell" 

"Alright, alright. At least I'll have my REAL girlfriend to do all this with." Both of them shared a smile and a quick kiss, before she started to slowly climb out of the hot tub. 

"Let's get a snack, and then it's bedtime, tomorrow is gonna be a long day." She yawned, helping him out of the tub and then they both dried off, their hands naturally finding one another's as they walked into the house, feeling quite a bit chilly from getting out of the water. "Change first?"

"Change first." They both ran up the stairs and into their own rooms, a sweet smile on her lips as she threw off her bathing suit and a pink nightgown on, him a white tee shirt and some grey sweats. 

"Wow, someone looks sleepy." Adrien mused softly, his hand naturally finding the small of her back as he helped her down the stairs, kissing her cheek very delicately. "Maybe the champange is getting to you, and you're just a sleepy drunk" 

"I am NOT drunk. I'm very, very sleepy." She smiled at him and sat down at the breakfast bar, watching as he microwaved some leftovers from their lunch, and handed it to her. "Thank you so much, you cutie."

"My pleasure." He sat next to her and both of them picked at the plate, him watching her sleepily eat and slowly start to lean more and more into him, the sleep suddenly taking over her, as she leaned all her weight against him. Oh god, she was the cutest thing. "Mari? Maaarriiii...." With no response, Adrien gently picked the girl up bridal style, and made his way to bed.

When he got into the room however, he hesitated. Should he leave her by herself to sleep? Did he want her to stay? They hadn't slept together all night yet; but they had taken a few power naps together during the day. He was very unsure, he wanted to make sure she was happy. Him leaving would be the safest option, so he began to.

"Stay." He heard her sleepy voice coo to him, an arm reached out to muse him back into bed and into her arms. She was irresistible, especially while sleepy.

So he did.

\---

The next morning Adrien woke up with a yawn, slowly sitting up and looking around at his surroundings. This definitely wasn't his room, but Mari's. He smiled gently as she stirred and rolled over in her sleep, in attempts to grip and find him. She was so, so adorable when sleepy. "Princess, we gotta wake up. Our plane is leaving in a couple hours, the car will be here in two." He slowly crawled out of bed, much to her protest. "Come on, we gotta get ready to go home."

"But I don't wanna go home..." She frowned and reached for him, his arms sweeping down to caringly take her into his arms, his hands under her and her legs around his waist. "What did we do with the leftover pasta?"

"We left it out, because someone wouldn't let me leave the room." He buried his face into her neck for a few moments, before making his way down the stairs and into the kitchen to clean up and try to prepare them a wonderful, expertly crafted breakfast of oatmeal. Adrien really needed to learn how to make eggs. 

She hung on him the entire time Adrien made their bowls of sweet cinnamon apple oatmeal, pouring a dash of milk in and putting them on the buffet. "Come on, time to get off." 

"But I don't want to!" She groaned, protesting for a few seconds more, before gently getting off of him and sitting next to him, smiling softly at the oatmeal. "You're so cute."

"I'm cute... For making oatmeal?"

"Yes. Extremely." She leaned up and kissed his cheek, both of them humming softly as they began to eat their breakfast. 

Once their breakfast was done they quickly cleaned everything up, and started to pack up their final items for the trip. They checked over the house a few times, then changed into their plane outfits and checked the house once more. It was all ready to go. 

"Maybe we can come back again eventually."

"Eventually." the two of them carried their bags out to the car, climbing in the back seat and linking hands right away. "Back to rainy Paris."

"It's gonna be fun! Just shh." She brushed her nose against his, and they were off to the airport. 

\---

About halfway on the drive, the skies grew gray and it began to pour. "Rainy Paris? Looks like it's rainy Athens right now." She teased him, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "I hope our flight doesn't get delayed.." She frowned, thanking the driver as he went under a overhang, the two of them giving him a hefty tip and walking off into the airport. 

They got through security and customs easily, but as they learned their plane had to be delayed until the weather permitted better flight conditions, Marinette already felt the headache coming on. 

"You gotta be kidding me, your father is gonna kill me." She sighed, noticing a missed call from him already. She reluctantly redailed his number, putting the phone to her ear, her other hand finding her boyfriend's. 

"Hello?" 

"Hello, I'm so sorry, there's a bad thunderstorm here and we have to stay put in Greece until it lets up. The weather says that could be in 6 hours from now." She sighed and squeezed his hand, leaning into him. 

"You need to get back here fast, we have a lot of matters to discuss, including Adrien." He seemed very impatient. Had he gotten new news on their arranged marriage? Because she sure as hell had some news for him. If he wanted to cancel, that was going to be a problem. 

"Okay, Thank you so much. I'll call you once the storm lets up and we're about to board." She smiled and said a quick goodbye, hanging up and watching the weather girl once more, the two of them snuggling up closer to one another. "What are we gonna do for 6 hours?" 

"Well, we can at least try to make the best of it. Want to explore the airport?"

"Sure, why not?" 

\---

Hour 1 had been aimless walking around, even grabbing water bottles and snacks and drinking them up, just to get their blood flowing, trying to save the better stuff for later. 

Hours 2 and 3 were kept up by an action movie they decided to watch, snuggled up in a blanket with the snacks they had bought, with absolutely no let up of the storm. 

Hour 4 was when they decided to explore the gift shops. 

More like, when Adrien decided to explore the gift shops and Mari was dragged along with his silliness. 

"Look at this one! Oh my goD, LOOK AT THIS ONE!" He held up a shirt proudly, a gyro with a cape around it, titled a 'super gyro.' Oh god, how much worse could he get. "I'm buying it." He quickly looked through all the other shirts, holding up the "hide and Greek" one to proudly show her, but putting it back, he only needed one terrible pun shirt. "Best part of the vacation." 

"You're so cute. I personally like this one." She held up a simple shirt with just the word "Athens" written on it, in which Adrien snapped it up into his arms, causing her to raise his eyebrows. He seemed very, very excitable due to all the snacks they had eaten. 

"We can be all touristy. We can put them on and wear them home, and be all cute. See? Good press."

"Oh yes, I'm sure the paps will EAT UP the fact that you have a super gyro shirt on." She smiled wide at him, his smile growing wider. She had just made a pun without even realizing it. "Oh shut up!" She laughed and hit his arm, taking the shirt from him after he paid for it.

She was really glad she was stuck in an airport with him, she had never expected something like this to be so entertaining. After the shirts came the chocolates he bought, and then of course the Rose he bought for his princess. He was a nerd and she loved every second of it.

Hour 5 was a couple online videos, hour 6 they went to a gyro place to get food, Adrien proudly clad in the super gyro shirt, so proud of the fact that Mari was almost embarrassed, but too in love with the fact that he was having so much fun. 

Hour 7 the storm let up, and hour 8 the two were fast asleep on the plane, praying for a good week in Paris.


	13. -chapter 13: an offer-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this one is cute have fun bye

Paris' grey clouds and March air enveloped the two as they stepped off the plane, her taking in a familiar breath of air. 

Thankfully it wasn't raining in Paris, just cold and cloudy, but it was a lot better than the pouring rain they had to deal with on the other end of Europe. The two of them held hands and dragged their suitcases behind them as they made their way into the airport and quickly through customs, and finally to their chauffeur. Both of them were quite sleepy still from their long nap on the plane, but knew they had to stay awake. They had a meeting to attend.

Neither of them had any idea why Gabriel called a meeting for them two, when everything was going smoothly, even more smooth than expected. They did exactly as he asked in Greece and she didn't get any info about anything going wrong in the show, and neither did he. All they knew was that he wanted a meeting and he wanted it asap. 

She felt funny. Was something wrong? She felt the anxiety bubble up in her chest, her wringing her hands together as she stared out the window, biting her lip. 

"Hey" her boyfriend's sleepy voice sung out, reaching to gently hold her hands. "Don't be nervous. He can't break us up now if that's what you're thinking. I want you, not anyone else, okay?" His lips gently peppered kisses on her cheek, as she nodded and gulped, leaning into him. She hoped he was right. Did she do something wrong? What if he wanted to fire her?

Her thoughts ran wild until the very last second. New scenarios and new possibilities popped up with every step into the building and every step up the stairs to the office where they were set to meet. 

As Adrien pushed the cold door open, Marinette took a deep breath and gently placed her feet into the tile floor, the soft tapping of her heels being the only noise filling the room, until the soft squeaking of chairs was heard, and they sat down, he was watching them like a hawk. 

"How serious are you two about this relationship?" His voice was soft and careful with his words, expected from Gabriel, he always knew what he was doing. Right to the point. Marinette looked at Adrien with a nervous expression, her hand timid as she reached out to grab his. He met her halfway, squeezing her hand reassuringly and smiling at his father. 

"Very serious. We've had some..... Reestablishments in our relationship during the vacation." He smiled at the increasingly worried girl, pulling her chair up against his. "She's been panicking about this all day, but I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, right father?"

"Oh no, I was just wondering if I made a mistake or not." 

"What kind of mistake? Do you mean with us two? Father, we like this relationship a lot..." He furrowed his brows and stared at him, squeezing her hand tight as he heard a soft whimper come from her. "You're not breaking us up."

"I wasn't planning to. Someone else offered me money to break you two up however..."

"And you won't be doing that." Adrien's voice got stern, as he tapped his foot on the tile furiously. "We want to try this. For real." He drew his lips tight as he shot daggers into his father with his eyes, pulling Mari as close as he physically could, praying she wouldn't cry. He wouldn't let this happen. 

"I've already denied the money Adrien. Do not get stern with me." 

Adrien let out a sigh of relief, his head leaning down to kiss her cheek, smiling gently. "It's okay, see? Nothing to worry about." he muttered, his voice gentle and caring as he gradually calmed her from her panic. 

"Besides, I'd much rather have a bright woman like miss Marinette as a part of the family, than bad-press-bourgeois." 

"Chloe?" Both their heads snapped up at once, as Adrien felt a grin on his face. Relief spread through the room, as he started to laugh, harder and harder by the second. "You got an offer to break us up by Chloe?" 

"Yes, I was supposed to get a hefty check of a hundred grand to break you two up and to have you take her on two dates. I'd get double if I arranged a marriage between you two. Of course, I care much more about my company than some stupid bratty girl who wants to date my son." 

"Thank god" Marinette let out a loud sigh, grinning up at Adrien. "Oh god. I seriously thought you were going to fire me and ban me from dating your son or something! Oh my god, you literally had me on the verge of tears!" 

"I know, it was very hard to not burst out laughing at your distress." He tapped his fingers on the table, gesturing down to her bag with a soft smile. "Can I see the final pieces in person, please?"

"Of course! Oh, I'm so exited to show you, I really think the Greece atmosphere influenced these into being wonderful, I hope you think so too." She unzipped the bag, laying them on the table one by one for him to inspect. 

"I definitely don't regret my decision. Thank you, miss Marinette." 

Gabriel made his comments and notes about each and every piece, but seemed very proud of every one, a smile even growing on his face as they went down the line of fashion choices for the upcoming event. She was going to be an amazing addition to the family. 

"Marinette, why don't you come over for dinner so we can further discuss your plans for the show? A few other designers are popping in for dinner tonight and I thought maybe you'd like to come and sit at the table. They've all asked me about you already."

"Oh, it would be lovely! Thank you so much. Should I be over by 7?" She smiled as he nodded, bouncing on her toes. "Adrien, I'll see you then I'm guessing? Since its at your house and I have to get ready." She leaned down and kissed him on the lips gently, leaving with a soft bounce in her step, everything was more than just good and she loved it.

"So I'm guessing things went well in Greece?"

"More than well." He stood up, practically beaming at his father. "Thank you."

"For what?" The father avoided eye contact by gently straightening out the dress on the table, examining the beautifully crafted stitching. 

"For this whole thing. I know you did it for your business and stuff and I know you didn't mean for it to end up like this but... I'm really glad it did. So just, thank you." Adrien stepped forward, turning his father to face him and enveloping him into a meaningful hug. 

Gabriel hesitated, but his expression of shock melted off his face as he hugged his son back, patting him on the back a few times. He had definitely made the right choice. 

\---

Nervous Marinette was the cutest thing, Adrien had decided. She would scrunch up her nose whenever someone would begin to compliment her, and slowly her face would bloom into a beaming grin, that complimented her oh so wonderfully. She had character, personality, all of it, and everyone at the table was overjoyed to talk to her, including Adrien. 

Normally he'd be bored out of his mind at these stupid dinners with people he really didn't care to meet and way too much fashion talk, but with Marinette there, he was able to just silently pick up on every little thing he loved about her and make a little list in his head to remember on late nights when he couldn't sleep and boring photoshoots to give him life. 

Was this what love was like? Certainly he had feelings for this girl, but was this love? Did she do the same thing? Oh he hoped she did, or had at least thought about doing it. What were his nervous habits, his quirks? He wanted to know all of them. Maybe he should write down hers so he could tell her. Or maybe he'd just remember them and mention them to her when she was feeling down. The latter, probably. 

He didn't think he spoke a single word throughout the entire dinner, his eyes fixed on her, his plate barley picked at. His stomach had too many butterflies from noticing all the little beautiful things she did to eat, maybe he'd sneak some pie into his room later. 

"I'm so sorry, I really need some shut eye for the long week ahead! This was so nice though, I'm so thankful. Adrien, would you walk me to the door?" Her voice snapped him back into reality. The door? She was already leaving? Had the dinner gone by that fast? Oh my. He had lost track of time. 

"Of course, darling" he got up and helped her out of her chair, walking with her with a dazed and giddy smile. 

"What's gotten into you? You've been staring all night." She interrogated with a sly smile, hooking their arms together naturally and leaning into him. "You barley talked the whole dinner. All you did was stare at me, with this stupid expression! Was there something in my teeth? Do I have like, a zit or something?" Her hands worriedly examined her face, looking up at him with horrified eyes. 

"You assume too much! No no, none of that. You just.....You had me distracted. You're cute when your nervous." She rolled her eyes at his comment, feeling a relaxed smile spread on her lips, which he met with a quick kiss, causing her so squeak loudly. "what? It's true. You were being extra adorable and I couldn't stop staring. You're still being extra adorable right now." 

"Oh my god, shh!" She pulled away from the touch to throw her coat on. "I think it's raining out there." 

"You think? I can hear it pouring. Come on, I'll walk you to your car, my darlin" he threw his own coat on and grabbed an umbrella hurriedly, pulling her close with a grin, kissing her cheek and letting the umbrella up as they stepped out into the cold storm. 

She held tight onto him as they walked to the car, her eyebrows raising as he stopped about halfway there. What had gotten into this boy? "What's wrong?"

"I've always wanted to do this." He pulled her close against him, a smile growing wide on his face as he met his down to hers, sealing her a sweet goodbye with a loving kiss, his eyebrows furrowed as he held her tight against the wind. "I'm cliche, I know."

Her legs were like putty the rest of the way home, she was lucky she didn't get into an accident.


End file.
